The former director of mental health services at Manus Island has called for an independent investigation into the brain death of an asylum seeker who remains on life support in Brisbane.

Peter Young from International Health and Mental Services (IHMS) said he was not aware of the circumstances in this case but logistical and bureaucratic delays in providing care were "part and parcel" of holding people in such remote locations.

Hamid Khazaei, 24, was medically evaculated to the mainland last week. Photo: Supplied

Dr Young said he did not consider the chief medical officer of the department, Paul Douglas, to be independent as Mr Douglas had previously accused health service providers of being risk-averse.

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The 24-year-old man, Hamid Kehazaei, was evacuated to the mainland last Thursday and was pronounced brain dead on Wednesday night at Brisbane's Mater Hospital, refugee advocates said.

Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said Mr Kehazaei's family were in the process of deciding whether to turn off the life-support machines.

She said there was a delay in transferring the man from Manus Island to the Australian mainland because a request from the medical service provider, IHMS, was denied.

"After being denied a timely transfer, this young man is now lying brain dead in a Brisbane hospital," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"This young man cut his foot, it got infected and he wasn't given the right medical help and it has developed into this severe septicaemia.

"This is a disgraceful lack of care given to this young Iranian man and a lack of duty of care being given by the Immigration Department."

Refugee advocate Ian Rintoul claimed the compound on Manus Island where the man had cut his foot had been evacuated.

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said: "This is simply not true."

The spokeswoman did not comment on the allegations of a delay, instead saying: "The government has consistently focused on the care of this young man and his family, as well as respecting their privacy.

"These are our primary concerns. It is disappointing that the Greens have sought to politicise this very sensitive and serious matter in this way."

On Wednesday morning, Mr Morrison confirmed the man had not died.

"In respect to the family of the individual, further details are not able to be provided," he said.

"The government is following normal processes for the adult male transferee. The family has been engaged."

Last Friday, as the man was reportedly fighting for his life, the department said its chief medical officer was reviewing the background to the transferee's condition and medical care while at the Manus detention centre.

The standard of care provided by IHMS was called into question last month during the Australian Human Rights Commission inquiry into children in detention, where evidence given to the inquiry showed the levels of medical care in immigration detention were often below Australian standards.

In May, a former Salvation Army staff member on Manus Island, Simon Taylor, claimed IHMS was giving asylum seekers a type of anti-malaria medication that detention centre staff had been warned not to take.

104 comments

"These are our primary concerns. It is disappointing that the Greens have sought to politicise this very sensitive and serious matter in this way."

The Morrison mafia must at least have some vague understanding that the whole 'border protection' regime is POLITICAL.

ergo - the Immigration Department has POLITICISED the asylum seeker issue. It has pumped out POLITICAL propaganda about asylum seekers for 15 - 20 years.

ergo - the Immigration Department is POLITICISED and not to be trusted.

But they would never understand any of that.

Commenter

Ross

Location

MALLABULA

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 7:47AM

@ Ross, "ergo - the Immigration Department has POLITICISED the asylum seeker issue. It has pumped out POLITICAL propaganda about asylum seekers for 15 - 20 years." That includes the years 2010-2013. What political propoganda was pumped out then?

Commenter

Kingstondude

Location

Malaysia atm

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 8:13AM

hi Kingstondude - pretty much the same propaganda as is currently and formerly pushed out

Both major parties have competed with each other to gain and hold the Hansenite vote.

However, individuals in those parties have objected to the politicisation of this issue.

Commenter

Ross

Location

MALLABULA

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 8:59AM

Sarah Hanson-Young disgusts me. She is politicizing this tragedy and clearly has nothing to say about anything except refugees. So disrespectful to the poor fellow and his family.

Commenter

Chris

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 8:59AM

@Chris, Senator Hanson-Young is the Greens' spokesperson on immigration and refugees. I guess it's like the treasurer speaking about money. It is the role she is in. I think she cares a hell of a lot more about the disgraceful conditions that our asylum seekers are kept in, than the Immigration department itself.

Commenter

Jans

Location

Sydney

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 9:22AM

hi Chris,

If the politicians who inflict this injustice on asylum seekers had taken notice of SHY, the man would not now be dead and the family need not be distressed. Similarly the family of Reza Barati.

I would think that the families of these two men would be a little grateful that among the politicise inhumanity of the Border Protection policy, that there are some humane people like SHY standing up for their incarcerated relatives.

Commenter

Ross

Location

MALLABULA

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 9:30AM

@ Chris, please replace "Refugee" with the words "Asylum Seeker" in your comment. There is a big difference. Refugees are those stuck in camps surrounding the worlds "trouble spots". They cannot afford boat trips. They have already been processed by the UN and have had their status determined. Asylum seekers are the bourgeois class from the middle east or Sri Lanka who are quite safe in Indonesia or Pondicherry, they are simply 'Country Shoppers". They have not been granted refugee status. We do have a refugee intake quota. For every asylum seeker granted residency here, a geniune refugee misses out. Sarah Hanson Young, inadvertantly promotes those who can afford to get here.

Commenter

Kingstondude

Location

Malaysia atm

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 9:34AM

@ Ross, "Both major parties have competed with each other to gain and hold the Hansenite vote." I wasn't aware that Tony and Joe were courting Sarah Hanson Young or even attempting to gain her support.

Commenter

Kingstondude

Location

Malaysia atm

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 9:42AM

@Kngstondude - "@ Chris, please replace "Refugee" with the words "Asylum Seeker" in your comment. There is a big difference. Refugees are those stuck in camps surrounding the worlds "trouble spots"

Oh what rubbish you do speak Kingstodude.

You are trying to tell us that refugees are passive and don't move or flee or try to improve their lot.

By definition there will be passive and active refugees, lifters and learners if you like.

There will be refugees who sit around hoping for someone to help out and others who set out to help themselves They are both refugess

Commenter

Ross

Location

MALLABULA

Date and time

September 04, 2014, 10:03AM

@ Ross, why do they sail straight past East Timor, a country that accepts assylum seekers? And what did one Seeker from Nauru say, something to the effect of that he made all this effort to gain residency in Australia, not Nauru. Those that make the effort to get here, are doing so because they wish to gain residency in Australia. That makes them country shoppers Ross.